Camden to pay £137k in fines and costs after toddler death
The London Borough of Camden has been fined £72,000 and ordered to pay costs of £65,000 after the death of a two-year old boy who was killed when sections of a boundary wall fell onto him.
The Health & Safety Executive said the case was a reminder to all organisations to keep their building stock safe.
Saurav Ghai had been walking along Southampton Road in Gospel Oak with his childminder on 18 January 2007. On a day of high winds, the boundary wall from the Wendling Estate collapsed, falling onto them.
They were taken to the Royal Free hospital, but Saurav died shortly after. His childminder suffered injuries.
Camden Council pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing after being charged with breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. It was responsible for maintaining the wall that collapsed. The court had been told that the wall was too thin for its height.
HSE Inspector Michael La Rose said: "Saurav should have been able to walk down the street without his life being put at risk, tragically this wasn't the case. His parents are now facing life without their son because this council simply failed to maintain a wall which was in a poor condition.”
Saurav’s father, Vinay Ghai, said after the sentencing: "We are grateful to the HSE for their efforts and persistence when dealing with the council, for keeping us involved at different stages of the investigation and being understanding of our frustration at many times during this period.
"Without HSE's involvement we would never have found out the proper facts that led to Saurav's death. It has been four years since our son was killed and we hope his short life will at the very least highlight the importance of the care required to make our public places safer."
David Padfield, assistant director of housing management at Camden, said: "We are very sorry that the collapse of a wall belonging to Camden Council resulted in the death of Saurav Ghai. We would like to express our deepest sympathy and remorse to his family, particularly at this time.
“While Camden pleaded guilty to breaching its health and safety duty it also asked the Court to consider a number of technical issues relating to the adequacy of the Council’s systems of repair and maintenance and the nature and extent of that breach. We will be giving further consideration to the ruling made by the Judge and its implications.“
Padfield added that the authority was “fully committed to ensuring the safety of residents and those who choose to visit our borough and this is reflected in everything that we do. Since this terrible accident in 2007 we have reviewed all of our procedures to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep people safe."
